When you’re writing about the dawn of a new industry, “firsts” and “milestones” come along so often that they may start to lose their novelty. However, the BMW i3, which was officially “launched” in July, and is scheduled to go on sale next year, boasts an impressive number of innovations that has the EV press… Read more »
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Plug-in fleets: small challenges, huge savings
Four plug-in truck companies talk to fleet managers about electrification opportunities Plug-in vehicles are different. Aside from the obvious changes in technology, they present a different financial model for corporate number crunchers. This means some challenges for those pitching EVs and PHEVs to fleet operators. Fortunately for the EV industry and the fleets of the… Read more »
Resonating with the OEMs: WiTricity’s wireless energy transfer technology
WiTricity hopes to leverage a wireless energy transfer breakthrough out of MIT into a commercial solution with far-reaching potential Inside a standard electrical transformer are two coils that transfer power wirelessly. They utilize the principle of magnetic induction, sending energy from a primary coil to a secondary coil without a direct electrical connection. Inductive chargers,… Read more »
A closer look at back electromotive force
Why motors generate and generators motor In a previous article I took a closer look at regenerative braking, and mentioned an old engineering saying that every motor is a generator and every generator is a motor (along with the caveat that some are more suited to the opposite purpose than others). This time around I’ll… Read more »
Plug In America research: Tesla Roadster battery longevity exceeds projections
By Tom Saxton, Chief Science Officer, Plug In America Many current and prospective electric vehicle owners are curious to better understand battery pack longevity. There’s plenty of technical data on how batteries lose capacity with use, but a lot of that testing subjects the batteries to extreme and rapid charge/discharge cycles, very unlike the much gentler use… Read more »
August plug-in sales best in history – Volt, LEAF, Prius smash records
Break out the Champagne! August was the best month ever for US plug-in vehicle sales, as 11,073 new owners got charged. Year-to-date sales (58,662) have already surpassed sales for all of 2012 (52,581). The surge was broad and deep – the three leading models had huge increases, the top two set new records, and even… Read more »
eVgo opens first California charging station – and thereby hangs a tale
NRG eVgo (ee-vee-go) has announced the opening of a public charging station at Westlake Shopping Center in Daly City, California. The new Freedom Station offers both level 2 and DC fast charging, and is the first of seven such sites that eVgo plans to open at Kimco Realty-owned retail centers (NYSE:KIM) in California this year…. Read more »
GE and Berkeley researchers hint at new water-based battery
It sounds like an intriguing idea: a new type of battery that uses water-based solutions of inorganic chemicals that can supply high energy density by ferrying more than one electron at a time. Scientists at GE Global Research and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are working on such a system, which they call the a “flow”… Read more »
Houston project to deploy 30 Smith electric trucks
The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), a regional association of local governments, has partnered with the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) and Smith Electric Vehicles for a pilot program that will deploy 30 of Smith’s Newton electric trucks in the Houston-Galveston region, the country’s fifth-largest metropolitan area. The project is partly financed by a… Read more »
Leonine Volvo plug-in coupé to prowl in Frankfurt
Volvo’s Concept Coupé, which will debut at September’s Frankfurt Auto Show, is the first of a series of three concept cars that will use the company’s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA). So far, Volvo’s announcements about the new concept have featured plenty of braggadocio… “Think about the powerful calmness of a lion. He doesn’t have… Read more »